MALAWI has joined with three of its neighbours in the multi-million dollar Mtwara Development Corridor that aims to boost trade and investment in landlocked countries in the region. Negotiations on the corridor, which will also pass through Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique, started last November and it is believed to have the potential to draw trade and investment because of the interlinking trade routes in the area. The four countries have already started working on developing the Tanzanian side of the corridor, where the port of Mtwara on the Indian Ocean will be upgraded, as will the road and telecommunications network. The corridor touches the northern region of Malawi, northern Mozambique, southern Tanzania and eastern Zambia. Most of these areas are the countries’ least developed and the four countries are encouraging private sector investment in the project.